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4,787-acre Upper Galveston Bay fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo contours (83.63% measured, 99.58% assessed), 48 measured structure and terrain spots, five TPWD Galveston Bay-system fish profiles, three forage calendars, official Bay/Beach access and current Texas rules. The water tops out around 55 ft. The depth chart is built from real agency bathymetry referenced to NAVD88; directly measured coverage remains distinguished from source interpolation. The channels, holes and drop-offs come from the source data, not a distance-from-shore model. What the data behind the map says about each species, season by season:
Upper Galveston Bay maps at 4,792 acres behind 13.6 miles of shoreline, with 9 islands in the mix. The basin is a simple one (shoreline index 1.4) — close to a bowl, so the structure on the chart matters more than the bank. Roughly 93% of the water is 15 ft or less, the band where the food chain lives. End to end it runs roughly 3.9 mi, about 2.8 mi across. Its nearest charted neighbour, San Jacinto River, is 5 mi to the north.
Come spring, look for red drum (redfish) tight to the bank in 1 to 8 ft. Expect a summer slide to 2 to 12 ft, then a winter hold in 3 to 15 ft. Start at HOUSTON channel edge. It's a channel edge holding about 12 ft of water and rates prime come winter. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A weedless gold spoon or a paddletail swimbait is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted breakwater (2 ft) | Gold weedless spoon, Paddletail on 1/4 oz jighead |
| Summer | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | HOUSTON channel edge (12 ft) | Weedless gold spoon, Paddletail swimbait |
| Fall | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & midday | HOUSTON channel edge (12 ft) | 1/2 oz spoon (schools), Big paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | HOUSTON channel edge (12 ft) | Scented soft plastic on 1/8 oz head, Slow-rolled paddletail |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: spotted seatrout in 2 to 10 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 4 to 15 ft before dropping to 5 to 20 ft for winter. The spot to know is HOUSTON channel edge, a channel edge in about 12 ft of water that rates prime for spotted seatrout in winter. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a popping cork + shrimp or a 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | HOUSTON channel edge (7 ft) | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn | HOUSTON channel edge (12 ft) | Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | dawn | open water | Popping cork rig, Soft plastic jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 20 ft | midday & dusk | HOUSTON channel edge (12 ft) | Suspending twitchbait (long pauses), Scented plastic crawled on bottom |
Come spring, look for southern flounder tight to the bank in 2 to 15 ft. They move out to 3 to 18 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it HOUSTON channel edge: a channel edge around 12 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning. A jighead + gulp swimming mullet or a bucktail tipped with shrimp is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 15 ft | dawn | HOUSTON channel edge (12 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (white/chartreuse), Bucktail + Gulp shrimp |
| Summer | 3 to 18 ft | dawn | HOUSTON channel edge (12 ft) | Jighead + Gulp swimming mullet, Bucktail tipped with shrimp |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | midday | HOUSTON channel edge (12 ft) | 3/8 oz bucktail + Gulp (passes), Big paddletail on the jetty edge |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | HOUSTON channel edge (18 ft) | Slow jig + scented grub in the holes |
Early season black drum use the shallows, holding in 4 to 25 ft. Even in summer they hold at 3 to 18 ft; winter keeps them in 8 to 35 ft. The chart's best answer is HOUSTON channel edge — channel edge, 12 ft, prime for winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a shrimp imitation dragged slowly or a small crab jig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 25 ft | midday & dusk | HOUSTON channel edge (12 ft) | Crab-tipped bottom jig, Shrimp on a jighead |
| Summer | 3 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | HOUSTON channel edge (12 ft) | Shrimp imitation dragged slowly, Small crab jig |
| Fall | 4 to 22 ft | dawn | HOUSTON channel edge (12 ft) | Crab-tipped jig, Scented shrimp jig |
| Winter | 8 to 35 ft | midday | HOUSTON channel edge (12 ft) | Heavy bottom jig + crab |
When the water first warms, sheepshead slide up into 5 to 25 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 3 to 15 ft, winter 10 to 30 ft. If you only fish one area, make it NOAA charted breakwater: a jetty / riprap around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Keep a small jig + crab piece rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted breakwater (6 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + fiddler, Sheepshead jig + shrimp piece |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn | NOAA charted pier (6 ft) | Small jig + crab piece |
| Fall | 5 to 20 ft | midday | NOAA charted pier (6 ft) | Jighead + shrimp, Small crab jig |
| Winter | 10 to 30 ft | midday | NOAA charted breakwater (6 ft) | Heavier jig + crab (deep pilings) |
48 pieces of structure are mapped here — NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth, around 53 ft, is the deepest of them.
Access data: Texas Parks & Wildlife — Public Boat Ramps (PWAID 2236; TPWAID harris023). Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Texas waters are set by the Texas Parks & Wildlife (saltwater) — and special regulations can apply to Upper Galveston Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Texas fishing regulations →
Upper Galveston Bay is about 55 ft (17 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart is built from real agency bathymetry referenced to NAVD88; directly measured coverage remains distinguished from source interpolation. The contours reflect measured and quality-assessed source depths.
Anglers target red drum (redfish), spotted seatrout, southern flounder, black drum, sheepshead on Upper Galveston Bay.
HOUSTON channel edge is the top-rated area: a channel edge in about 12 ft of water that rates prime for black drum in winter. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.
For red drum (redfish), the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Upper Galveston Bay is regulated by the Texas Parks & Wildlife (saltwater). Check the official Texas regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
San Jacinto River 5 mi · Sheldon Lake 20 mi · Lake Houston 27 mi · San Bernard River 60 mi · Lake Conroe 67 mi · Sabine Lake 70 mi, TX/LA · Lake Raven 75 mi · Lake Livingston 82 mi · East Matagorda Bay 82 mi · B.A. Steinhagen Lake 97 mi · Calcasieu Lake 101 mi, LA · Lake Texana 104 mi
See how Upper Galveston Bay stacks up: best red drum (redfish) lakes in Texas · best spotted seatrout lakes in Texas · best southern flounder lakes in Texas · best sheepshead lakes in Texas
Browse all Texas fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (NAVD88; 84% measured, 16% source-interpolated). How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.